Michelle Anderson looked the part of a beauty queen Tuesday in
her red power suit, flowing black hair and a red-and-white sash
that proclaimed her "Ms. Duncanville Plus America." Courtesy
Michelle Anderson, a 40-year-old mother of three, said she agreed
to become the face of the AIDS epidemic for a day in hopes of
convincing more people to be tested for HIV. View larger
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But when she stepped to the microphone at the Dallas County
health department, Anderson delivered a message that had nothing to
do with winning a contest.

"I've been living with HIV since April 11, 1999," she told the
reporters and others who showed up to hear a discussion about World
AIDS Day, an annual commemoration today.

Anderson, a 40-year-old mother of three, said she agreed to
become the face of the AIDS epidemic for a day in hopes of
convincing more people to be tested for HIV.

"You probably don't think someone like me could get HIV," she
said, smiling and shaking her head.

"I was raised in a nice, middle-class family. My father was in
the military, and my mother was a model," she said. "But no one is
exempt from HIV. Not even me."

Anderson joined county officials in urging residents to take
advantage of free HIV testing being offered today by the health
department.

The tests are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the
department's headquarters at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway and from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. at its mobile medical clinic, which will be parked
at the Big T Plaza at 4515 Village Fair Drive in Dallas.

County officials emphasized the necessity for HIV testing by
describing the AIDS epidemic in a litany of numbers.

"Over 66,000 Texans were living with HIV/AIDS in 2009, and
14,000 of them are in Dallas County," said Zachary Thompson,
executive director of Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The county has begun focusing on the growing number of young
people being infected locally. Officials are conducting community
meetings in hopes of involving parents and school leaders in a
campaign to stop the virus' spread.

"The number of sexually transmitted diseases and the teen
pregnancy rate are telling us this age group is sexually active,"
Thompson said.

In 2009, 54 HIV infections were reported per 100,000 13- to
24-year-olds in Dallas County, compared with 29 infections in that
group in 2003.

"The concern is that they are increasing in a steady trend,"
noted Wendy Chung, the county's chief epidemiologist.

"There are more cases of HIV every week in our clinic," said Dr.
Steve Wilson, the county's medical director for sexually
transmitted diseases and HIV. "We're telling people as young as 16
that they're HIV-positive. It's heart-breaking."

Anderson told a chilling story of being traumatized by sexual
abuse as a child, which sent her on a path to sexual promiscuity
and drug abuse.

"I felt like I was bad and did not deserve to be loved," she
recalled.

Although she doesn't know for certain, Anderson believes she
contracted the human immunodeficiency virus after her marriage
ended and she began an affair, she said. However, she lost track of
the man and does not know if he also tested positive.

Anderson said she decided to enter the contest for "plus-size
women" to boost her confidence and give her a chance to talk about
being HIV-positive. The contest is part of the Miss Plus America
pageant system, which recognizes women for being well-groomed and
articulate.

"I found out I loved talking to women and girls about issues
concerning their sexuality and their health," she said. "This is my
calling."